FISHING ALARM SYSTEM
A fishing alarm system for use with a fishing line which moves when disturbed by a fish utilizes an alarm device and two electrical contacts which are moveable toward and away from one another between an initial condition at which a circuit between the alarm device and a power source is made and a spaced-apart condition at which a circuit between the alarm device and the power source is broken. In addition, the contacts are biased from the spaced-apart condition toward the initial condition so that by inserting a section of the fishing line between the two contacts, the contacts are moved away from one another and held at the spaced-apart condition by the fishing line section positioned between the pair of electrical contacts. Upon removal of the fishing line from between the contacts, the contacts are permitted to return toward the initial condition at which a circuit is made between the alarm device and the power source.
This invention relates generally to fishing accessories and relates, more particularly, to means and methods for alerting a fisherman that a fish is biting his fishing line or, more specifically, a hook which is attached to his line.
The concept of providing an alarm system for alerting a fisherman that a fish is biting his fishing line is known. One such alarm system, shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,531, utilizes the movement of a fishing line (indicative that a fish is biting or pulling upon the fishing line) to physically flip a switch which, in turn, initiates the activation of a suitable alarm.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved fishing alarm system of the aforedescribed class.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fishing alarm system which utilizes the disturbance, or movement, of the fisherman's fishing line when a fish bites upon a hook which is attached to an end of the line.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a fishing alarm system which is relatively compact in construction and easy to use.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a fishing alarm system which is uncomplicated in structure, yet effective in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention resides in a fishing alarm system for use with a fishing line which moves when disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish.
The fishing alarm system includes an electronic alarm device adapted to emit an audible sound when an electrical current is passed therethrough and also includes a pair of electrical contacts which are moveable toward and away from one another between an initial condition at which an electrical circuit is made between the electrical alarm device and a power source and a spaced-apart condition at which an electrical circuit between the electronic alarm device and the power source is broken. In addition, the pair of electrical contacts are biased from the spaced-apart condition toward the initial condition so that by inserting a section of the fishing line between the pair of electrical contacts, the contacts are moved away from one another to the spaced-apart condition and held thereat by the section of fishing line positioned between the pair of electrical contacts and so that upon removal of the fishing line from between the pair of electrical contacts, as would occur when the fishing line is disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the pair of contacts are permitted to return toward the initial condition at which the electrical circuit is made between the electronic alarm device and the power source.
Turning now to the drawings in greater detail, there is illustrated in
In accordance with a characteristic common to fishing poles of the class depicted in
When fishing with a pole 22 and fishing line 24 as depicted in the
With reference to
As best shown in
It is also a feature of the embodiment 20 that its control circuit 44 includes a pair of electrical contacts 50 and 52 which are each fastened to bosses 51, 53 formed within the casing 40 yet are adapted to be moved toward (and into engagement with) one another and away from (and thus out of engagement with) one another. For example and as best shown in
Assuming that the ON/OFF switch 48 has been set to its ON position and the pair of electrical contacts 50 and 52 are arranged in the
With reference still to
The casing 40 can be constructed out of any of a number of suitable materials, such as a hard plastic, but other materials can be used. Meanwhile and if desired, the casing 40 can be molded in half sections which are subsequently joined, or glued together, after the circuit 44 has been assembled within the interior thereof.
To ready the embodiment 20 for use with a fishing pole 22 and with reference to
Similarly and if desired, the embodiment 20 can be anchored in a stationary condition adjacent the pole 22 with stones (not shown) positioned on opposite sides of the casing 40. In the alternative and as shown in
With the fishing pole 22 and the embodiment 20 thus anchored in stationary positions as aforedescribed, the section 34 of the fishing line 24 is fastened to the embodiment 20 by way of the slot 38 formed therein. To this end, the section 34 of the fishing line 24 (which section 34 extends between the eyelets 32a and 32b of the fishing pole 22) is grasped by both hands of the user, as best shown in
Preferably, the lowermost edges, indicated 37 in
As mentioned earlier, the disturbance of the baited hook 28 upon striking of the fishing line 24 by the fish 19 effects a shift in position, or a sudden jerk, of the fishing line 24. Since the fishing pole 22 and embodiment 20 are each anchored in a stationary position as aforedescribed and when the embodiment 20 is in a readied condition for use, this sudden disturbance of the fishing line 24 jerks, or suddenly moves, the section 34 of the fishing line 24 out from its position of rest between the contacts 50, 52 so that the contacts 50, 52 are permitted to return into engagement with one another (i.e. into the
It will be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions can be had to the aforedescribed embodiment 20 without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although the aforedescribed embodiment 20 has been shown and described as including a casing 40 whose form resembles that of a substantially rectangular prism, the casing of an embodiment incorporating features of the present invention can take an alternative form. For example, there is depicted in
With reference to
The alarm-emitting device 242 includes a housing 274 within which known sound-emitting componentry (not shown) is mounted and contacts 278, 280 (in the form of conducting wires) which protrude from the top and bottom, respectively, of the housing 274 of the device 242. When current is permitted to pass between the contacts 278, 280, the device 242 emits an audible alarm capable of being heard by a fisherman located nearby. For purposes of saving battery energy when the embodiment 200 is not in use, the device 242 includes a two-position ON/OFF switch 248 which is accessible to the user through a preformed slot 250 (
Within the depicted embodiment 200, there is provides a strip 282 of conducting material which is connected between the device contact 280 which protrudes from the underside of the housing 2240 and the negative terminal 272 of the battery 246 to permit electrical current to pass between the device contact 280 and the negative terminal 272 of the battery 246. Furthermore, there is also provides a conducting strip 284 which is fixedly joined (e.g. soldered) to the device contact 278 which protrudes from the top of the device housing 274 and extends across the positive terminal 270 of the battery 246. The strip 284 has one end, indicated 285, which is fixedly secured (e.g. soldered) to the (upper) contact 278 of the device 242 and has an opposite, or free, end 287 which protrudes outwardly of the interior of the casing 240 through the preformed slot 238. The free end 287 of the strip 284 is movable relative to the casing 240 between a lowered condition, as depicted in solid lines in
The embodiment 200 also includes a secondary strip 290 of conducting material which is secured to the casing so as to extend external of the slot 238 formed therein. If desired, the end of the strip 290 disposed within the casing interior can be provided with an abutment stop 292 against which a section 34 of a fishing line is permitted to rest when urged between the conducting strips 284 and 292 when readying the embodiment 200 for use. As is the case with the previously-described embodiments 20 and 98 of
It follows that one difference between the embodiments 20 of
The depicted embodiment 200 can be supported for use adjacent a fishing pole 22 (
Accordingly, the aforedescribed embodiment 20 is intended for the purpose of illustration and not as limitation.
Claims
1. A fishing alarm system for use with a fishing line which moves when disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the fishing alarm system comprising:
- an electronic alarm device adapted to emit an audible sound when an electrical current is permitted to pass therethrough;
- a pair of electrical contacts which are moveable toward and away from one another between an initial condition at which an electrical circuit is made between the electrical alarm device and a power source and a spaced-apart condition at which an electrical circuit between the electronic alarm device and the power source is broken, and wherein the pair of electrical contacts are biased from the spaced-apart condition toward the initial condition
- so that by inserting a section of the fishing line between the pair of electrical contacts, the contacts are moved away from one another to the spaced-apart condition and held thereat by the section of fishing line positioned between the pair of electrical contacts and so that upon removal of the fishing line from between the pair of electrical contacts, as would occur when the fishing line is disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the pair of contacts are permitted to return toward the initial condition at which the electrical circuit is made between the electronic alarm device and the power source.
2. The fishing alarm system and defined in claim 1 further comprising a casing having an interior within which the electronic alarm device is housed, wherein the casing has an exterior wall within which a slot is formed, and the pair of contacts are accessible through the slot for the purpose of inserting a section of the fishing line between the pair of contacts.
3. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 2 further comprising a power source having a terminal, and one of the pair of contacts engages the terminal of the power source when the pair of contacts are disposed in the initial condition and the one of the pair of contacts is out of engagement with the terminal of the power source when the pair of contacts are disposed in the spaced-apart condition.
4. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 3 wherein the power source is a battery.
5. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the pair of contacts is in the form of a strip of conductive material which is inherently biased toward the other of the pair of contacts.
6. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 1 wherein the pair of contacts are shaped to provide a fishing line-accepting guideway which helps to funnel the fishing line to a position between the pair of contacts when the fishing line is inserted between the pair of contacts so that the pair of contacts are moved relative to one another to the spaced-apart condition.
7. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 1 further comprising an ON/OFF switch associated with the electronic alarm device enabling the device to be switched between an ON condition and an OFF condition.
8. A fishing alarm system for use with a fishing line which moves when disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the fishing alarm system comprising:
- an electronic alarm device adapted to emit an audible sound when activated;
- an electrical circuit associated with the electronic alarm device for conducting an electric current to the electronic alarm device for the purpose of activating the electronic alarm device;
- wherein the electrical circuit includes a pair of contacts which are movable toward and away from one another between an initial condition and a spaced-apart condition for, respectively, making and breaking the electrical circuit and wherein the pair of contacts are biased from the spaced-apart condition toward the initial condition; and
- wherein the pair of contacts are adapted to be moved relative to one another to and maintained in the spaced-apart condition by a section of the fishing line inserted between the pair of contacts so that as long as the section of the fishing line is positioned between the pair of contacts, the electrical circuit is broken and so that upon removal of the section of the fishing line from between the pair of contacts, as would occur when the fishing line is disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the pair of contacts are permitted to move relative to one another and into the initial condition for making the electrical circuit and thereby activating the electronic alarm device.
9. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 8 wherein the casing includes exterior walls between which the electrical circuit is housed, and the exterior walls define a slot through which the pair of contacts can be accessed with a section of the fishing line.
10. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 8 further comprising a battery from which electrical current is conducted to the electronic alarm device when the electrical circuit is made.
11. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 8 wherein at least one of the pair of contacts is in the form of a strip of conductive material which is inherently biased toward the other of the pair of contacts.
12. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 1 wherein the pair of contacts are shaped to provide a fishing line-accepting guideway for funneling the section of the fishing line between the pair of contacts when the fishing line is inserted between the pair of contacts for readying the system for use.
13. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 8 further comprising an ON/OFF switch wired within the electrical circuit enabling a fisherman to switch the system ON and OFF.
14. A fishing alarm system for use with a fishing line having a hook attached to a free end of the line and which is adapted to shift in position when disturbed by the biting or striking of the hook by a fish, the fishing alarm system comprising:
- an electrical circuit including an electronic alarm device for emitting an audible sound when the electrical circuit is made;
- a power source from which electrical current can be drawn when the electrical circuit is made; and
- wherein the electrical circuit includes a pair of contacts which are movable relative to and toward one another to an initial condition for making the electrical circuit and are movable relative to and away from one another to a spaced-apart condition for breaking the electrical circuit and wherein the pair of contacts are biased toward one another to the initial position, and
- wherein the pair of contacts are adapted to be spread apart and maintained in the spaced-apart condition by positioning a section of the fishing line to a position of rest between the pair of contacts and so that upon removal of the fishing line from the position of rest between the pair of contacts, as would occur when the fishing line is disturbed by the biting or striking of the fishing line by a fish, the pair of contacts are permitted to move toward and into the initial condition for making the electrical circuit and thereby activating the electronic alarm device.
15. The fishing alarm device as defined in claim 14 further comprising a casing within which the electronic alarm device and the power source is housed.
16. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 15 wherein the casing includes exterior walls, and the exterior walls defines a slot through which the pair of contacts can be accessed for movement of the pair of contacts away from one another to the spaced-apart condition with a section of the fishing line.
17. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 14 further comprising a battery from which electrical current is conducted to the electronic alarm device when the electrical circuit is made.
18. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 14 wherein at least one of the pair of contacts is in the form of a strip of conductive material which is inherently biased toward the other of the pair of contacts.
19. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 14 wherein the pair of contacts are shaped to provide a fishing line-accepting guideway for funneling the section of the fishing line to the aforesaid position of rest between the pair of contacts when the section of the fishing line is directed between the pair of contacts for readying the system for use.
20. The fishing alarm system as defined in claim 14 further comprising an ON/OFF switch wired within the electrical circuit enabling a fisherman to switch the system ON and OFF.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 28, 2021
Publication Date: Nov 3, 2022
Patent Grant number: 11785932
Inventor: Ronnie G. Lloyd (LaFollette, TN)
Application Number: 17/300,249